Report - Nordic Research Forum 2017

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Climate change, industrialization and globalization have put the Arctic on the map in new ways; ways that have incited the world to reconsider the region and its populations. Reports, strategies and analyses have been developed to meet the local and global challenges that have arisen. The Arctic is entering into a new era of decision-making, which requires public awareness, new governmental structures and institutions and a global outlook. Without doubt, the Arctic societies are challenged, as are researchers in regards to grasping developments in the new Arctic reality. Consequently, the past decades have seen the establishment of new institutions and platforms for research collaboration and knowledge exchange. Also, research in, with and for a new Arctic must include a discussion about the role of the Nordic universities in the years to come. That discussion is complicated by the fact that the present-day Arctic is a region that is so culturally, politically, socially and economically diverse.

To address some of the key challenges in the Arctic today, the Nordic Research Forum 2017 brought together a large group of scholars from the Nordic countries from various disciplines to discuss the role of the Nordic universities in the new Arctic and the Nordic Arctic research agenda on global and local challenges. Universities Denmark together with University of Aalborg and AAU Arctic initiated the forum. The forum was arranged in collaboration with University of Iceland.

This report summarizes the main discussions, findings and recommendations that emerged during the forum, and concludes with a synthesis of participant contributions to a series of action points and recommendations to assist further partnership and collaboration on Nordic-Arctic university collaboration.